


It Takes A Village To Make It

by Ironkhaleesi



Category: Marvel, Marvel Cinematic Universe, The Avengers (Marvel Movies)
Genre: Angst, F/M, Fluff, Polycystic ovarian syndrome
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-07-26
Updated: 2017-07-26
Packaged: 2018-12-07 03:25:02
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,253
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11614872
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ironkhaleesi/pseuds/Ironkhaleesi
Summary: After a year of you and Bucky trying to have a baby, you find out you have polycystic ovarian syndrome.





	It Takes A Village To Make It

You were sitting at the table the morning everyone found out. You were tired and weak as per usual. Tony and Clint spent their time glaring at Bucky and giving you pitiful, concerned looks.

You knew what they thought. They’d always been vocal about their disapproval of you and Bucky being together. They came to your wedding out of love for you, but they never bothered to congratulate Bucky. 

It’s not that they hated the man, they just didn’t think he was ready to be settling down with someone. The fact they adored you and had known you since you were a teenager just made matters worse. 

They were overprotective, and as far as they were concerned, it was only a matter of time before Bucky hurt you with all his issues. 

Things only got worse when the symptoms started. Of course, you didn’t want to air your dirty laundry out for the whole team to see. So, when you started gaining weight, losing sleep and breaking out, Clint and Tony jumped to the assumption that things with Bucky were getting too hard to handle. 

You felt awful that Bucky was copping all the judgment, but whenever you tried to talk about it, he would just say, “As your husband, it’s my privilege to protect you. What’s happening with us doesn’t concern them.”

Now here you were, sitting down to a breakfast you couldn’t bring yourself to eat. Your head resting in your hand and your abdomen twisting in pain. Tears pricked your eyes, but you couldn’t remember the last time you weren’t on the verge of crying. 

Bucky sat beside you, his meal untouched. His hands were curled into fists atop the table he stared at. All he wanted was to help you – comfort you – but he had no idea how he was meant to help. He felt like every time he tried, he just made things worse.

When you first got the diagnosis, he buried himself in research. He knew the symptoms like the back of his hand. Theoretically, he was best suited to help you. But practicality was a whole different ball park. None of the books – none of the doctors – could really prepare him for the whirlwind of emotions you’d both experience. 

You felt hopeless because you couldn’t give Bucky what he wanted. Bucky felt helpless because he couldn’t give you what you needed. And around it went, a vicious cycle stuck in this little bubble with the two of you.

Because no one knew. No one except Steve and that was because he was the one who’d taken you to the doctors the day you found out. But he’d been away on a long mission since then, and he didn’t really understand what was happening. You and Bucky kept the worst of it under wraps. 

You winced as a shot of pain sliced through your abdomen. Natasha, who’d been sitting next to you, noticed. 

“You okay?” she said. 

You lifted your head and gave her a tight smile. “Yeah. Just cramps.”

“You sure?” You nodded and she lowered her voice so Clint and Tony couldn’t listen in. “You can tell me. I’ve noticed you’ve been really run down the last few months.”

“It’s nothing,” you snapped. 

Natasha jumped in shock at your raised voice. Clint and Tony looked at you. Bucky’s fists only tightened. 

You sighed and raked a hand through your hair as you mumbled an apology. When your hands dropped to your lap you froze. You felt around the warm mess and lifted your fingers to see blood.

“Shit,” you breathed. You looked down and the tears fell when you saw blood seeping through your shorts. The insides of your thighs were sticky and there were streaks of blood on the chair. 

You stood, the chair screeched back. Tears streamed down your face. Everyone looked at you. 

Tony was the first to say something. “Uh, it’s okay, Y/N. It’ll wash off.”

“It’s not okay,” you said, your voice strained as you held back a sob. 

You rushed out of the room. Natasha looked at Bucky, but all he did was stare at the blood on the chair. Natasha pressed her lips together and went after you. Tony and Clint turned hard looks to the soldier.

“It’s just blood,” Clint growled as he pushed his spoon through his cereal. “Accidents happen. If you can’t handle it …” 

He didn’t say it, but the message was clear. If Bucky couldn’t handle a little period blood, he shouldn’t have married you.

“I can handle it just fine,” Bucky growled as he turned his eyes back to the table. 

“Really?” Tony said as he grabbed a cloth from the kitchen. “’Cause you seem pretty pale there, buddy.”

Bucky said nothing and Tony cleaned the chair you’d been in. 

“Y/N’s been looking pretty run down lately,” Clint said as Tony tossed the cloth in the bin and came back to the table. 

Bucky gritted his teeth. He knew what they were getting at. 

“Yeah,” Tony said. “Seems like your night terrors have been keeping her up. You should probably sleep on the couch for a bit. Give her a chance to rest.”

“She’s a sweet girl. Wouldn’t want to see you ruin her,” Clint muttered. 

That was a low blow, even for him. It had been Bucky’s biggest insecurity at the beginning of his relationship with you. He’d been terrified of damaging you, of forcing all his problems onto you.

For Clint to bring it up now … it was the last straw.

“I get it,” Bucky said through gritted teeth. “You’re looking out for her. I appreciate it, I do. But trust me when I say, you have no idea what you’re talking about.”

Tony’s jaw ticked. “I know –”

“No, you don’t,” Bucky growled as he levelled Tony with a hard look. “You’ve got no idea what’s going on with us. Stop pretending you do. Yeah, I’ve got a lot of problems, but they have never affected my relationship with Y/N. I do everything possible to make sure that doesn’t happen. Do us a favour, stop pushing your own fears onto me. It’s not helping her. If anything, you’re making things worse.”

Bucky pushed back from the table and stood. Just as he was about to leave the room, the elevator dinged and the doors opened to reveal Steve. He smiled when he saw the three of you and walked into the room. 

“Hey, man,” Clint said. “You’re back.”

“Yeah, just got in.” Steve looked at Bucky. “Hey. How’s Y/N? Has she gotten any good news from the doctor?”

“The doctor?” Tony said. 

Clint straightened in his chair and Bucky sighed. “Y/N’s been seeing a doctor?” Clint said.

Steve’s face fell. “Crap. I’m sorry, Buck, I thought you told everyone.”

“Told everyone what?” Tony said.

“Is she alright?” Clint said, his cereal forgotten.

“It’s fine,” Bucky snapped. “Everything’s okay.”

“No, it’s not.” 

Bucky’s eyes closed at the sound of your quiet voice. He turned to see your tear-stained face. You were in fresh clothes – Natasha standing beside you with a look on her face that said you’d caved and told her everything. 

“It’s not okay,” you said. “I can’t … I can’t give you the family that you wanted.”

Bucky stepped forward and reached his arms out. “Baby …”

“Stop. Just – stop. I’m broken. My body – it-it’s faulty. Stop pretending that doesn’t matter to you.”

“It’s not. And it doesn’t,” Bucky said.

“But it will!” 

Your tears started up again and you left before anyone could see them fall. This time Bucky followed you out.

“What the hell is going on?” Tony said.

Steve looked at Natasha. She shrugged. “They should know. Bucky and Y/N need support.”

Steve pressed his lips together and looked back at Tony and Clint. “Bucky and Y/N have been trying to have a baby for a year, now. They weren’t going to tell anyone until it actually happened, but then … it didn’t.” 

“A few months ago,” Natasha continued, “Y/N started getting sick. She went to the doctors and they diagnosed her with polycystic ovarian syndrome. They said it’s highly unlikely she’ll be able to get pregnant.”

“Shit,” Clint breathed as he sat back in his chair.

“Well, I feel like an ass,” Tony said.

“You should,” Natasha growled. “You guys need to lay off Bucky.”

“Look,” Steve said, “I don’t know much about what’s been going on. But what I do know is, Bucky’s been doing everything he can to help Y/N. But he’s not coping. He’s worried he’s just making things worse. He really needs our help.”

“They both do,” Natasha said. 

****

Bucky caught up to you when you went into the bedroom you shared with him. He grabbed your arm and forced you to face him. 

“Look at me,” he said as he cupped your face in his hands. “You’re not defective. You’re not broken. None of that. Your body is working differently than it’s meant to, but that’s okay.”

“It’s –”

“It is okay, Y/N. We can work around it.”

You scoffed and pulled your face from his hands. “Really? How, Bucky? We can’t adopt because you’re technically dead. We don’t know anyone who’s willing to carry our baby for us. How the hell are we meant to work around this?”

“We’ll find a way,” Bucky said, his voice calm and gentle. “And even if we don’t, that’s okay too. I wanted a family because you made me believe I could have one. But I don’t want one without you, and I love you more than I love the idea of a white picket fence. You mean more to me than that.”

You shook your head and your bottom lip trembled. Bucky felt so frustrated. He just wanted to make you happy. That’s what he’d promised to do in his vows, and he felt like he was failing. 

“And what about everything else?” you said. “I’m – I’m gaining weight. My face keeps breaking out. I’m finding hair where there was never hair before. And – and I’m too tired to even have sex, Bucky.”

“So what? None of those things matter to me because they’re not what I fell in love with.” You scoffed and he cupped your face in his hands again. He willed you to believe him. “I didn’t fall in love with a number on a scale, or your skin, or – or how often we have sex. I fell in love with you. Just you. And as long as you’re here, I’m not going anywhere.”

You sniffed as you looked up at him. Your voice trembled. “Bucky …”

He pressed his forehead to yours and stroked his thumbs against your cheeks. “We can get through this,” he murmured. “I’m more than willing to stay by your side, but you have to help me, doll. You have to let me love you. You have to let me be there for you.”

He pressed a kiss to your forehead and pulled you into the warmth of his arms. “We’re going to be okay.”

****

Barely a week after Tony and Clint found out, the rest of the team had been informed and suddenly the tower was at full capacity again when Bruce and Thor decided to stay for a ‘visit’. You and Bucky knew the truth, and though neither of you would admit it, you were grateful.

Tony had flown in doctors from all around the world until he found one that gave you the news you wanted to hear.

After that, it was days filled with medication to balance out your hormones and help with the insulin problems. You grumbled about the strict, iron-rich diet you were put on, but when your mood started lifting within weeks, you suddenly didn’t hate spinach so much. 

It wasn’t all rainbows and butterflies, but it was better than what it had been. Tony, Natasha and Bruce helped you with the biological side of things, and Bucky helped with your mental state. 

Bucky found his own support in Thor, Steve and Clint. Whenever he was scared he was doing the wrong thing, they helped put him back on track. 

It took a village, but a year later Bucky was cradling his very own daughter in his arms while you lounged back against the couch, exhausted after just being released from the hospital. 

“She’s so small,” Thor said when he looked down at the bundle cradled in Bucky’s metal arm. “May I hold her?”

Bucky’s first instinct was to step away from Thor and cradle his daughter closer. 

Natasha smiled. “Don’t worry. I’ll keep her safe. Your wife looks like she’s about to slide off the couch, though.”

Bucky looked at you and smiled when he saw your head lulling to the side. He slipped the baby into Thor’s arms with a stern warning and went to you. 

He smoothed his hand over your head and said, “Let’s get you to bed.”

Your eyes blinked open and you shook your head with a weak smile. “No. I wanna stay out here and watch for a while.”

Bucky nodded and sank down onto the couch so he could pull you into his arms. He pressed his lips to your head and watched as the team fussed over his daughter. The daughter you gave him. He didn’t think it was possible to love you more, but he did. 

“I told you we could make it,” he said, but you were already snoring against his chest.

**Author's Note:**

> I've got more fics at iavengesuperwholock.tumblr.com


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